Cinema, +50% attendance in theaters and the long road still to go

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The plus sign is bombastic: +50% in attendance recorded in the first three months of the year compared to 2022. But going a little deeper, the exercise is all too simple: just go a little further back in time, not even so much but to that 2019 which represents the last “happy” period before the Covid emergency to understand that the numbers are still far from a level that can allow cinema in Italy to be considered out of the ford.

Growing first quarter

In the usual dynamic of the glass half full or half empty, it is clear that the Cinetel data allow at least a breather. As of 2 April, Italian cinemas had total takings of approximately 111.8 million euros for a number of admissions equal to 15.8 million tickets sold since the beginning of the year. This is, Cinetel explains in a note, “a result in terms of attendance 50.5% higher than the same period in 2022”.

In addition, «as regards Italian productions, including co-productions, there is a collection of over 35.4 million euros for a number of admissions equal to around 5.3 million tickets sold and a share of the total attendance of about 34%. In general, the market confirms the growth trend of the previous periods, making us hopeful for the coming months, which see major Italian and international titles coming out».

Collections at -38% compared to 2019

The problems arise from the confrontation with the past, as we said. The 111.8 million of January-2 April 2023 compare – looking at Cinetel data – with just over 68.2 million in the first quarter of 2022, but after the 175 million of 2019 (-38%) or the almost 206 million of 2018 In the first part of 2022, the impact of the Covid containment measures could still be felt and therefore, in this case, the obligation to wear masks at the cinema. But the conviction that the sword of Damocles hangs over the cinema market in Italy is gaining ground among insiders, with problems that go much further and that need to be brought into sharp focus.

There is the “evergreen” question which refers to the excess production of local industry in Italy, the reflection of which has been identified in the lack of quality products capable of attracting the public to the cinema. But it is clear that it is an understatement to stop at this. Also because the box office is largely made by films produced by the US majors.